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Topic Review (Newest First)

01-18-2014 12:53 PM

Cvan

Hi I have a 1 year old german shepherd who got neutered yesterday I am really concerned if we did the right thing I am having mixed feelings about it. Please help and let me know if anyone else has done this at 1 and how their dog is doing now. He seems to be doing well but I am still worried I have heard many different things about what happens after neutering I just don't want him to grow obese or change in any way could u please help

I took the advise of a reproduction specialist vet. Which was to neuter or choose one of the other methods she offered between 12 to 18 months. The reason was the high cancer risk.

My Vet was fine with me saying that I wanted to wait until he was 2 to neuter him, he had no issues with it but then a couple of weeks later only one ball had dropped and then he told me that longest we should wait to neuter is 18 months because of the higher risk of cancer but he also said that the ball that didn't drop can become really hot while still in his body and it can cause other issues.

I recently neutered my dog. He had just passed his third birthday. Only reason I did it was because I was trying to adopt a very particular kitten, and the rescue had a hard line attitude about spayed and neutered pets. I explained to them why I had chosen not to neuter at an earlier age, but had no real objection since my dog was now mature, and they understood but held their line, so I went ahead and agreed. But I will say now, it didn't affect my dog at all, so it really *was* unnecessary. I haven't seen ANY impact whatsoever, positive or negative. So, I don't regret it, because it didn't appear to affect my boy negatively, beyond the occasional licking of his lost members which didn't even last a week or so... But still, in the end, it wasn't necessary, IMO. Except that now I own an exceptionally beautiful kitten who is a tyrant to live with and believes he is entitled to sleep on my face, lol! Idk, cats are a dime a dozen. If I had a do over, I'd probably have kept my Jack intact.

I recently neutered my dog. He had just passed his third birthday. Only reason I did it was because I was trying to adopt a very particular kitten, and the rescue had a hard line attitude about spayed and neutered pets. I explained to them why I had chosen not to neuter at an earlier age, but had no real objection since my dog was now mature, and they understood but held their line, so I went ahead and agreed. But I will say now, it didn't affect my dog at all, so it really *was* unnecessary. I haven't seen ANY impact whatsoever, positive or negative. So, I don't regret it, because it didn't appear to affect my boy negatively, beyond the occasional licking of his lost members which didn't even last a week or so... But still, in the end, it wasn't necessary, IMO. Except that now I own an exceptionally beautiful kitten who is a tyrant to live with and believes he is entitled to sleep on my face, lol! Idk, cats are a dime a dozen. If I had a do over, I'd probably have kept my Jack intact.

I would still need for them to give me the numbers. Give me the risks, and I will make the decision. I think there isn't much difference between 18 and 24 months, and if the risk was significantly worse to wait until 24, I probably would do it, but I wouldn't do it without some data.

Maybe I don't trust veterinarians who are wanting to neuter my dog. Some really want to neuter and spay all dogs, regardless. Many feel the sooner, the better. Some are just going off of some protocol they read somewhere. As for repro-vets, I went to a seminar once and that fellow said that the retained testicle is no more likely than a descended testicle to get cancer, it is harder to detect if it does happen, and it safe to wait and have it removed after the dog is fully mature. But I am sure that even amongst specialists there are differences of opinions. This is why I would like to see some numbers. I would like to see how many intact dogs with a retained testicle was diagnosed with testicular cancer before the age of 2.

I've done my own research and I don't need the exact numbers. Two different vets as well as the breeders vets have all said the same thing. Which matched my research.

I know I wrote this before, but the reproduction specialist did not say he had to be neutered. She said the retained testicle needed to come out between 18 to 24 months. She said we could remove the retained testicle and let him keep the one that dropped, we could neuter him or we could remove the testicle that is retained, give the dog a vasectomy and let him keep the dropped testicle. She did NOT say he had to be fully de-sexed. In fact she is not pro neutering just for the sake of it. I will probably have him neutered though. My choice, my decision.

I took the advise of a reproduction specialist vet. Which was to neuter or choose one of the other methods she offered between 12 to 18 months. The reason was the high cancer risk.

I would still need for them to give me the numbers. Give me the risks, and I will make the decision. I think there isn't much difference between 18 and 24 months, and if the risk was significantly worse to wait until 24, I probably would do it, but I wouldn't do it without some data.

Maybe I don't trust veterinarians who are wanting to neuter my dog. Some really want to neuter and spay all dogs, regardless. Many feel the sooner, the better. Some are just going off of some protocol they read somewhere. As for repro-vets, I went to a seminar once and that fellow said that the retained testicle is no more likely than a descended testicle to get cancer, it is harder to detect if it does happen, and it safe to wait and have it removed after the dog is fully mature. But I am sure that even amongst specialists there are differences of opinions. This is why I would like to see some numbers. I would like to see how many intact dogs with a retained testicle was diagnosed with testicular cancer before the age of 2.

It would have been helpful if it would have given the percentage of dogs that get testicular cancer, at what age, the percentage of dogs that have an undecended testicle that get testicular cancer, and at what age.

By what you wrote, the risk gets greater after the dog reaches two, which suggests that waiting until two shouldn't be an issue.

From what I have understood, testicular cancer usually hits dogs in middle to old age. I would wait until the dog is two if that is what you would have done otherwise. I would go ahead and neuter, even though generally I won't neuter or spay. But with an undecended testicle you will not detect a tumor as quickly as you would if they are out in the open.

I took the advise of a reproduction specialist vet. Which was to neuter or choose one of the other methods she offered between 12 to 18 months. The reason was the high cancer risk.

01-14-2014 06:38 PM

selzer

It would have been helpful if it would have given the percentage of dogs that get testicular cancer, at what age, the percentage of dogs that have an undecended testicle that get testicular cancer, and at what age.

By what you wrote, the risk gets greater after the dog reaches two, which suggests that waiting until two shouldn't be an issue.

From what I have understood, testicular cancer usually hits dogs in middle to old age. I would wait until the dog is two if that is what you would have done otherwise. I would go ahead and neuter, even though generally I won't neuter or spay. But with an undecended testicle you will not detect a tumor as quickly as you would if they are out in the open.

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